In a career highlighted by so many accolades, memorable performances, and trophies, Stephen Curry is nearing yet another milestone. The widely accepted “greatest shooter of all time” stands just 18 three pointers short of 4000 for his career, a number that was previously thought of as impossible.
Stephen Curry Highlights the New-Look NBA
Many eras of the NBA can be highlighted by specific shots on the court. Whether it was the late 80’s, where physical dominance was prominent everywhere fans looked with the Bad Boy Pistons being a key example, the 90’s and early-to-mid 2000’s, where Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan dominated the mid range, or today’s (the last decade) game, where three pointers and dunks are the key to success, every NBA era has a formula for success.
It makes sense that today’s era features the greatest shooter of all time. The grouping of Steve Kerr as head coach, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green ushered in a new wave of play style when they surprised everyone, except for maybe themselves, in the 2014-15 season when they shot their way to an NBA Championship win. In the time since that season, more and more teams have taken the approach of, “threes and dunks” as the keys to their offensive success.
As you can probably tell from the image above, the stats back up this claim. Per teamrankings.com, four teams average over 41 three point attempts per game, including the Warriors and the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics. Prior to Golden State’s run in 2014-15, not a single team averaged 30 attempts per game! While the Warriors weren’t alone in the shift of the “NBA Meta,” it is undeniable that teams tried to mimic their success by replicating their performance from behind the arc.
As the aforementioned upcoming milestone of Curry’s career draws closer, it allows us as fans to appreciate just what he has done for the game of basketball as a whole. Whether you enjoy the new-look NBA or not, this change was coming regardless. The rapid increase in the usage of data analysis and efficiency charts just needed a catalyst to ignite the change. Stephen Curry was (is) that catalyst.
Stephen Curry is a few games away from reaching 4000 career three pointers 👀 pic.twitter.com/cUmDhOCIlA
— De🅿️ressed Warriors Fan 💔 (@GoIdenState)
On the cusp of 4000 career three pointers, nearly 900 above the next closest player, the Warrior great will forever be remembered at the end of his career for his passion, his charming demeanor, his celebrations, his shooting, and how he changed the game of basketball forever.
